Personal Privilege

On a matter of personal privilege, I’d just like to point out the obvious. I did not create my web site and my blog to be an online forum for people to argue in support of organized crime. I created it to help raise public awareness about the driving force behind the gang war that is plaguing not only our city and province but our entire country.

The Hells Angels involvement in the national drug trade has become clear. The biker war in Quebec was, as we all know, a war over the drug trade. If anyone takes the time to read the book, The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada, it will become clear that I’m not the only person who is concerned about the Hells Angels taking over organized crime in Canada.

No matter what I write about someone will complain. When I first started blogging people kept complaining that I talked about the Hells Angels all the time. Then when I started posting about a few political issues directly or indirectly tied to organized crime, others complained and said stick to blogging about the Hells Angels because that is what I do best. Obviously it’s a no win situation because no matter what I write about, people will complain regardless.

It reminds me of the Ricky Nelson song Garden Party. It was about a musician who went to a garden party with some old friends. He tried some new songs that he thought his friends might like but it ended up being awkward. They just wanted to hear the old songs he loved and was known for.

His conclusion was that he had learned his lesson well. You can’t please everyone, you have to please yourself. Not in a selfish way, in more of a Shakespearean to thine own self be true kind of way. I will continue to blog about what I feel is important. It’s just a blog. I’m just one person. There are millions of blogs out there about a million different subjects.

If someone wrote a book about the Hells Angels and someone who reads the book complains that every chapter is about the Hells Angels, let me break it to you. That’s what the freaking book is about. If you don’t want to read about the Hells Angels, don’t read the book. Likewise, let me break it to you. My blog is about the Hells Angels. If you don’t want to hear about it then don’t read it. It’s that simple.

And yes, I do have political opinions. Yes some people have a hard time with statements like Harper’s evil agenda. Yet to me, that’s the only way to describe it because I don’t believe he is misrepresenting himself accidentally. I believe it is a cold hard agenda tied to corporate greed. When I hear some of the ridiculous nonsense it makes me want to scream. Blogging about it is a healthy and peaceful way for me to vent without doing anything stupid.

Some people got all freaked out because of the title of one of my blog posts. Instead of saying the Hells Angels are connected to a man found shot I said they were connected to the shooting. Because they are. If someone shoots a member or associate of the Hells Angels, then they are involved. Especially when the shooting was drug related and the guy was a drug dealer for the Hells Angels. Whether the Hells Angels shot him or the Rock Machine shot him, it doesn’t change the fact that they are connected to the shooting. They are involved with a huge amount of gang violence right now. The last thing we need to do is to get swept away with rage and denial.

Recently there was a guy shot at the Sheraton in Vancouver. He was involved with the drug trade and was involved with a group that was selling drugs in opposition to the Hells Angels. The Vancouver Sun produced a graphic containing the victim’s picture and the Hells Angels logo in the coroner. The graphic was an illustration of the obvious. If the guy was involved with a group who were Hells Angel rivals and he was shot dead, then the Hells Angels are most likely connected to his murder. It really isn’t brain surgery.

I’m not sure if I’m going to just stop having comments for a while. I don’t mind feedback but endless criticism is pointless. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. It wasn’t my intent to create an online forum for people to argue. Kim Bolan’s blog is much more interactive and I most certainly don’t have the time to be a forum moderator.

Some people want to legalize marijuana. Others don’t. I shun extremism. Knowing there is a whole wack of people out there who want to legalize marijuana, going to the other extreme and imposing mandatory minimum sentences for growing pot is not only pointless but prevents us from addressing the current problems of prison over crowding, court backlogs and delays, and violent crime related to hard drugs.

I don’t agree with the legalization of all drugs. I think legalizing crack, crystal meth or date rape drug is socially irresponsible. Others who want to argue with me claim that because I disagree with the legalization of all drugs, I am stupid and I am a liar. I really don’t have the time of day for those people and won’t be perpetuating that argument any more. If they want to run a blog about the joys of crack then they are free to do so. Just not on my blog.

People will continue to send me links and tips and I will continue to post and blog about them. The reoccurring theme about who is involved in the gang violence from coast to coast is very relevant to all of us.

Pickton Inquiry Folds into Panel Discussion

Well Wally Oppal is up to his dirty tricks again fulfilling the mandate of his Red Herring Inquiry. As soon as the Hells Angels are mentioned and as soon as Terry Blythe is mentioned, Wally chokes, the Inquiry folds and is transformed into a Panel discussion. He switched to a “less adversarial” panel approach so the Hells Angels aren't mentioned any more. Go figure. When will Wally Oppal stop committing welfare fraud by scamming the taxpayers out of truth and justice?

Terry Blythe and Robert Pickton

Terry Blythe, the former Vancouver Police chief during the Pickton investigation took the hot seat at the Pickton Inquiry. Blythe was Vancouver's police chief from 1999 to 2002 - when serial killer Robert Pickton stepped up his pace of killing Down-town Eastside women - denied he knew anything about Pickton until just before his arrest.

Yet former chief const. Terry Blythe also insisted at the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry that he was a "hands-on" chief who was kept "fully informed" on a daily and weekly basis about the status of the investigation.

His high profile lawyer demanded that Cameron Ward, lawyer for the families of 25 murdered women, "put up or shut up" by proving or withdrawing allegations of a "cover-up" or "whitewash" by police, the inquiry or by Blythe himself.

"If the issue is that my client was involved in a cover-up or a whitewash or sanitizing documents received, or creating disorganized files, then [Ward] must present evidence," said Greenspan, "Or I propose to demand an apology.

Let's see... they are editing and withholding documents. That would make his request somewhat problematic indeed. One thing I do know is that when the other lawyer gets angry and starts yelling, that means you are onto something and he wants to shut you up because is afraid.

It is obvious the police are whitewashing and covering up their legal liability in the delay of arresting Pickton just like they did at the Airport Taser fiasco. The real question is not their delay because they didn't take the murder of sex trade workers seriously. The real question is the promise that the inquiry will hear evidence that off duty police officers attended parties at Piggy's palace. That would indeed open Pandora's box as to one possible motive the police dragged their heels in Pickton's arrest.

Another Pension Lie

The passionate assault on Canadian Pensions is as disturbing as the outrageous propaganda used to drive it. The latest absurdity the Harper government is using to rationalize the deregulation of pensions and raising the age of retirement is to protect the youth from having to support an aging generation. That is absurd.

One day, all the young people will retire. When you raise the age of retirement you are telling them everyone else was allowed to retire at age 65 but you're not. We've all been paying into the pension all our working life. Now Harper wants to take that away and give it to the banks. Well he already gave it to the banks. Now he wants to use our pensions to pay for that dasterdly deed. Young people will pay the price of not having a pension any more thanks to the Harper Government.

B.C. rave rape charges stayed

Crown prosecutors have dropped charges against the only man accused of sexual assault at a notorious Pitt Meadows, B.C., rave, the man’s lawyer says. Colton McMorris, 19, was accused of assaulting a girl, 16, at a party in September 2010, while a young offender was charged with posting pictures of the incident — described at the time as a gang rape — on the Internet.

Another man, Dennis John Allen Warrington, 19, was charged with distributing child pornography. Lawyer Tony Serka said the Crown admitted in Port Coquitlam provincial court Tuesday that it did not have a strong enough case against McMorris to proceed with a trial.

This is deranged. They stood there and watched a girl under the influence be raped by multiple men. They filmed it. Police said during their initial investigation that as many as half a dozen men may have been involved in the assault and that the victim had been drugged. Yet the accused's lawyer now claims McMorris did nothing wrong and accompanied the complainant and her friends to McDonald's after the party, Serka said.

Let's see, date rape drug, takes away your memory right? Date rape. The girl is afraid of repercussions. This is another example of how our system is failing.

Victim speaks out.

Dartmouth shooting connected to Hells Angels

A man found dead on a Halifax-area road Sunday night had a Hells Angels connection and was shot in the back of the head, thechronicleherald.ca has learned. Halifax RCMP identified James Alexander (Sandy) Lyle, 55, as the victim and have declared his death a homicide. It’s Halifax's second homicide this year.

Lyle had a long history of drug dealing and was arrested in a major operation against the now-defunct Halifax chapter of the Hells Angels. In March 1991, Lyle received a five-year sentence – his only federal stint - for running a cocaine operation from his Maple Street home with his younger brother Martin Ellsworth Lyle. Lyle was also found guilty of possessing a loaded .45 calibre handgun. Martin Lyle was given three years.

VPD endorses dishonest bill

Well this is rather shocking. Right after Toews publicly claimed he was surprised by the content of the controversial bill C-30, the VPD publicly endorse it dancing around the inherit concern which has become obvious.

CBC radio pointed out that the bill provides for "exceptional circumstances" where police can request information from the ISPs even when they are not conducting "a specific criminal investigation. Toews claim that he was surprised by that section of the bill show that he is either lying or an idiot. The purpose of the bill is warrantless Internet surveillance. If the police has a suspicion of criminal activity they could get a warrant. The purpose of this bill is to do away with the need to get a warrant in order to obtain personal information about someone.

Vancouver Province Back Chat:

Many readers weren't thrilled to learn that police support Bill C-30, the controversial legislation that gives government agents easier access to the private information of Internet users. Fear of a police state continues to build.

Vic Toews, Stephen Harper, RCMP and local police just don't want to play by the rules. That is what the Constitution grants us all. If the police need to get information on a suspected child predator, they can obtain a court order. Otherwise, stay out of our private affairs. They already have enough power.

DIFFERENT BEAT

Cops are civil servants, not policy-makers. If the job is too dangerous, quit. There are lots of jobs available as dog walkers. Timmy's is hiring.

ORWELL SAW IT

1984 : '(

CYBER COPS?

Does anyone really think for one nanosecond that the police wouldn't love this surveillance bill? Of course they would. Could it be any other way. Given their druthers, the police would like to implant a locator in every Canadian's head and tattoo an ID number on their arms.

SURFER FORCE

People need to calm down. The cops need this so that they can determine which of their officers are surfing porn sites.

TOO INVASIVE

These guys have gone too far with this Internet surveillance bill.

POLICE STATE

The police state will be upon us soon if these kind of laws are not stopped.

It has nothing to do with crime and everything to do with freedom.

Our fathers fought for freedom and your government is trying to steal it from you with laws that make Soviet Russia look free.

COMPROMISE

To protect the most vulnerable, we should be willing to compromise - no rights are lost unless you're the bad guy. Not true. When we give up our liberty and throw away the Charter of rights we are all diminished.

7 year old in hospital after accidental GHB overdose

A seven-year-old girl from Langley is expected to make a full recovery after ingesting what police believe was the date-rape drug. On Saturday night, the child was found unconscious, possibly from a drug overdose, at her home in Langley and was rushed to Surrey Memorial Hospital.

RCMP Cpl. Holly Marks said police believe the girl may have ingested GHB by accident. "It is possible that it was contained in a water bottle, that she would have drank it innocently," Marks told ctvbc.ca. "I don't know why or what purpose it served in the residence."

Police have interviewed the girl's mother and a man who is currently staying at their home. The Serious Crime Unit will continue the investigation to determine whether criminal charges will be recommended.

“The thought that this drug would have been laying around a residence where a seven-year-old girl could pick it up is obviously disturbing,” said Marks. Indeed, what was that drug doing in the home at all? This drug is much to available in BC.

Vikileaks

Another bizarre twist to a sad saga of deception and theft. Vic Toews was the scoundrel that came out supporting Harpers' warrantless Internet surveillance bill. The had the audacity to claim it had anything to do with catching criminals when it clearly did not. Then he came out with the ultimate offensive lie and said that anyone who doesn't support warrantless Internet surveillance stands in support of child pornographers. This is what I mean about and evil government. Making outrageous lies that are absolutely inflammatory to steal our liberty and rob our pensions.

After he made that outrageously offensive lie, someone opened up a Twitter account called Vikileaks and started quoting things from his divorce affidavits. The fact is while the Vic Toews was billed the "minister of family values" he was embroiled in a messy divorce after fathering a child with a much younger woman.

It is shameful that the outrage has been the violation of his privacy. Justine Trudeau even came out with a bizarre support for Toews after the twitter account was opened. This is what's wrong with North America. A guy like Newt Gingrich can get so far in politics when he is a known adulterer. Vic Toews another Neocon pushing the neo con lies was supposed to be a good family man, then turns out having an affair and farthing a child with a much younger woman. That is relevant. What about the violation of OUR privacy when the Harper government throws away the charter of Rights passes a bill that authorises warrantless Internet Surveillance?

Surprised by content of online surveillance bill

Now Toews says he's surprised by content of online surveillance bill. What, are younow claiming you didn't read it?

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews says he is surprised to learn that a section of the government's online surveillance bill provides for "exceptional circumstances" under which "any police officer" can request customer information from a telecommunications service provider.

In an interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House, Toews said his understanding of the bill is that police can only request information from the ISPs where they are conducting "a specific criminal investigation."

But Section 17 of the 'Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act' outlines "exceptional circumstances" under which "any police officer" can ask an ISP to turn over personal client information.

"I'd certainly like to see an explanation of that," Toews told host Evan Solomon after a week of public backlash against Bill C-30, which would require Internet service providers to turn over client information without a warrant.

"This is the first time that I'm hearing this somehow extends ordinary police emergency powers [to telecommunications]. In my opinion, it doesn't. And it shouldn't."

He's right it shouldn't but I say it's bullshit he didn't know it did. That is the intent of the bill. If the police were conducting a specific criminal investigation, they could get a warrant. The purpose of this bill is WARRANTLESS online surveillance. Just like when Harper's' gestapo kicked out a University student from one of his rallies because she posted a picture of herself with another candidate on facebook.

Remembering Whitney Houston

There is no doubt Whitney Houston will be remembered as the talented shining light that she was. Glimpses of her funeral showed the love that she had for others and the love they share with her. That's likely the best measurement of success.

There has been talk about her struggle with drugs and checking herself into rehab despite the song that jokes about avoiding rehab. Yet no doubt that was such a small part of her life, her memory and her legacy will be filled with talent, love and light.

Glancing at some tabloids there has been some bizarre headlines from the typical trashloids. Don't buy those. Don't support the trash. I remember seeing someone I knew buy one of those tabloids and said buying that is supporting the people who killed Dianna. Indeed it is. Supply and demand declares that if people weren't consumed in the gossip, the paparazzi wouldn't be so ruthlessly invasive and shamefully negative.

Her passing brings two things to mind. First is the love and the loss that a premature death brings. I think of Jammie Kehoe who was senselessly murdered at such a young age when he had his whole life before him. No doubt his parents had bigger plans for him. The second is many good people have fallen because of drug addiction.

Somehow we need to rise above glorifying addiction without being judgemental realizing it could happen to any of us or to any of our children. There is nothing noble about profiting from exploitation. Coveting materialism does not make greed or exploitation good. The violence we have seen locally because of the gang war has made that clear.

Unfortunately, Amy Winehouse is more likely to be remembered for her addictions as well as her talent because her drug addiction had such a dramatic physical effect on her appearance. One of the saddest things I ever saw was the release of a video one of Amy Winehouse's "friends" took of her smoking crack looking at her wedding picture. The betrayal of her friend was one thing but the whole using crack to escape the pain of a loss in a relationship was sad. She was human and those kinds of drugs are very addictive and very damaging. Before the drugs, Amy Winehouse was also a wonderfully talented singer. Not many rock stars haven't had a problem with drugs.